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Monday, July 8, 2013

NBA Orlando Summer League: Day 1

Today
was the start of the NBA Summer League in Orlando. This is where
players prove themselves and all of that pre draft hype gets put to
rest. This is where many players set the tone for their careers.
Although a lot of these guys have different roles and situations on
their team they all have a common goal which is ball out to the best
of their abilities and show all suitors and potential suitors they
belong to play among the greatest players in world in the NBA. Many
Players made their NBA debuts today some went well and some not so
well but that’s what I’m here for to break it down for you.

Last
season after being drafted 18th overall in the 2012 NBA
Draft Terrence Jones found himself outside of the Rockets rotation
and found himself in the D-League. He could have complained because
lets face it this is a guy who is extremely talented and started on
one of the greatest college basketball teams ever but he didn’t let
his ego get in the way of improving as a player and worked on his
craft which led him to becoming a D-League all-star. Watching him in
his 2013 Orlando summer league debut he looked a hell of a lot more
polished from when I last saw him with the Rockets. If you watched
then he showed you he could do a little bit of everything. In the
early stages of the game he flashed his perimeter game hitting his
only three-pointer of the game. From there on you saw a player who
just gets after it on the boards hauling in 12 rebounds and using
every bit of that 6 foot 9 inch 252 pound frame to display his
toughness on the boards. He stayed in attack mode and found himself
earning lots of points in the paint, this in turn put him at the free
throw line where he knocked down 5 of his 7 attempts from the charity
stripe. Jones has a high motor and it was on all full display Sunday morning.

Final
Analysis: For a guy who worked hard at his craft in the D-league and
accomplished a lot this was the best start he could have asked for.
If NBA GM's had any questions about the development of Terrence Jones
then all of that was quickly put to rest and they were reminded of
how talented he was at Kentucky.Terrence has a great chance to earn
some minutes in the Rockets rotation this season and as long as he
stays consistent this summer league with similar performances like
this he will prove to be an asset once the games really count.

It's
a new era in Philadelphia 76ers basketball in recent years they have
gotten rid of all-stars Andre Iguadola and Recently traded Jrue
Holiday because they have limitless faith in former Syracuse standout
point guard Michael Carter-williams, Monday morning he made his
summer league debut vs Houston. While I do see a lot of potential in
the 6'7 guard I also see someone who for now is very flawed and has
some serious adjustments to make. Lets start with the good
Carter-williams he is long so when he gets in the lane he can finish
and he showed that on a few plays collecting and 1's. He had 11 free
throw attempts and made 10 of them so not only did he show the
ability to stay aggressive and get to the line but he was nearly
perfect from the free throw line which kept the Sixers in the game.
Now the bad Carter-williams like most rookies in the league is going
to try to do more then he can and force things when he should, his
shot selection was very erratic 8-23 he shot he needs to let the game
come to him. 9 Turnovers shows that he needs to take care of the
basketball but as the game went on he displayed that he can adjust
and make plays for his teammates.

Final
Analysis: It is only Michael Carter-Williams 1st game and
there are a bunch of high expectations being placed on this guy to
replace All-Star Jrue Holiday so give him time. I see a lot of
versatility with him as far as his ability to attack the rim, get to
the line as well as guarding bigger players when switching pick and
rolls with him being 6 feet 7 inches tall. That height also allows
him to post up smaller guards on the block which is a viable asset
for him, that aspect of his game reminds me a bit of Shaun
Livingston. All in all I think he needs to put on some size and
develop a perimeter jump shot which will come in time but considering
how much he was pressing in the first half of his debut he wound up
having a good showing. The future is bright in Philly for this guy.

Of
all the guys who made their debut Sunday I was most excited to see
Victor Oladipo more then anybody. He is one of the pieces in the
Orlando Magic youth movement and the future at shooting guard looks
bright for them. From the very get go it was the Victor Oladipo show
he scored the Magic's first 6 points on two 3 pointers. He showed a
lot of what he has to offer with his defensive tenacity deflecting
many passes which lead to Boston turnovers and eazy transition points
as he collected 5 steals and just caused a whole lot of trouble for
the Celtics. One of the most underrated parts of his game was his
play making ability as the primary ball handler I was completely
oblivious to the fact that he had that ability and the fact that he
has that is impressive to me.

Final
Analysis: Oladipo is solid in every sense of the word he gets after
it defensively, finishes at the rim and makes his teammates better I
think the Magic found a good one in the former Hoosier standout. My
prediction when speaking about summer league is that Oladipo would be
the best player in it and so far it looks like I am right but he
looks exactly like the kind of guy you want on your basketball team.
Lets see how consistent he stays he already looks like an impact
player.

Not
going to lie of all of the guys in both summer leagues there are no
draft prospects I had a lower expectation level for then Kelly Olynyk
he comes off as very soft to me and that rubbed me the wrong way at
his time at Gonzaga. When I watched him play he pretty much showed me
he could play even though he plays like an oversized shooting guard.
He displayed tremendous touch around the rim and away from hit very
efficient against the Magic big men. He still played very soft he
could play with more intensity on defense but he had a good showing
in summer league lets see how long it lasts.

Final
Analysis: Olynyk looks like the kind of big you would want to play
with Rajon Rondo he is an excellent pick and pop player who can
stretch the floor with his shooting. Not sure how he will fit into
Bostons plans but interested to see what happens to the former
Gonzaga phenom.

Jarvis
Varnado is an excellent shot blocker dating back to his days at
Mississippi State and not much has changed now in that
department. In his 2013 debut in the Orlando summer league he proved
he can give the Heat a presence in the middle which they so
desperately need against the Pacers and the Bulls. The only knock on
him his he has trouble finishing at the rim needs to work on his
hands if he can fix that they won't have to look at Greg Oden.

Final
Analysis: If he does what he needs to do then Varnado will be in the
Heat rotation come October if not then you will see him in street
clothes again on the bench...GET IT DONE JARVIS!

Dionte
Christmas has been trying to get into the league for a minute in his
days at Temple he averaged 19+ points for 3 seasons he is a proven
scorer and Sunday Morning was no different. In yet another summer
league tryout this time with the Utah Jazz he led them in scoring at
14 points in a win over the Heat. He does a great job of getting to
his spots on the floor and hitting shots. He needs to continue to do
that if he wants to make an NBA Roster.

Final
Analysis: Dionte Christams is no scrub he just needs a chance to play
and hopefully Utah gives him that chance but he has to give him a
reason with more performances like this one.

The
Detroit Pistons have signed Josh Smith and already have Greg Monroe I
have already stated multiple times on Twitter that I think they have
a great chance to be the best front court in basketball. If that is
going to happen a lot of that falls on the shoulders of man child
Andre Drummond. In his Summer League debut plenty of reasons people
like myself and in the Pistons organization are so high on him were
shown. His rebounding was great he grabbed 16 boards with a whopping
7 offensive rebounds so controlling the glass is something Drummond
brings to the table. He gave you 6 blocks and 5 steals displaying his
athleticism that most big men don’t have. As great as all of that
is he still has work to do if he wants to become an elite dominant
center in the league like taking care of the basketball 7 turnovers
for a center is in excusable. Most importantly though Free throws, he
shot 2-9 and that is a deficiency in his game hopefully he gets that
corrected because if he does the Piston front court could be special.

Final
Analysis: Good dominant performance in the facets of the game you
would expect from Drummond like rebounding, blocks you know big man
stuff. If he wants to mature into that franchise center the Pistons
think he could be he must work on hitting shots from the free throw
line. All in all though a very goo showing by Drummond now lets build
off of that.

Day
1 is a wrap, stay tuned for day 2 coming soon. To stay up to date
with all things Tru School Sports and NBA Summer league related
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